Dark Souls II Sure Looks Better on the PS4

The folks at Digital Foundry have put Dark Souls II through its paces. Here’s how the PS3 version compares to the PS4 one. In the above video, you can see how textures, frame rates, and lighting stack up. The difference is quite noticeable, to say the least. In case you missed it, here is Kotaku‘s…

One Piece Has an Official Mini-Van 

In the past few years, Nissan has rolled out a Serena mini-van that’s covered in One Piece. You couldn’t buy it. But now in Japan, you can. Priced at 3.25 million yen (US$27,270), the car is designed after the Thousand Sunny, the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates. Fittingly, this car is called the “Thousand…

Being Good at Video Games Isn’t Cool, Says Japanese Poll

You might be terrible at video games. You might be amazing. And if you’re a guy who’s good at games, does that make you cool? That’s what one Japanese website wanted to find out. According to Buzz Plus, the following question was posed to two hundred women in Japan: “Do you think men who are…

The Horror: Behind the Scenes of Launching H1Z1

Launching a game is hard. So what happens when you release a high-profile title with the world watching and things break? Lots of things. Worse, it takes at least a day to fix stuff when a retweet can happen in seconds. Let’s talk to H1Z1’s senior game designer Jimmy Whisenhunt. This post originally appeared on…

Street Fighter Comes To Life with Japanese Celebrities

It’s not everyday you can flip on your television in Japan and see major celebrities cosplaying as Street Fighter II characters and talking incessantly about the game. Last week on variety show Ame Talk, a handful of famous Japanese people who are into video games dressed up and recounted their Street Fighter experiences and memories…

Gundam Figure Is Smokin’ Hot

This custom variation of a Gundam 30th anniversary figure sure is something. It lights up, yeah, but the fact its exhaust ports also smoke is pretty neat. It was built by The Great Brush-Painter. The smoking kicks in at the very end:

Your Games Have More Replay Value Than You Think

Just when you think you’re done with a game, along comes something that shows you’re far from done: you just need to step outside your comfort zone. Scenario Generator is a tool that works for multiple games, from strategy titles to Dark Souls, by giving you a specific set of challenges or situations. For example,…

There was a Red Dead fan film releaseda couple of years ago that was very influenced by 70’s schlock. This new one is a more traditional take on the game, and it’s all the better for it.

Video Games Are Too Perfect, Which Is Why I’m Playing More Board Games

Outside of work hours (or work assignments), I’m finding myself playing as many board games as I am video games these days. I’d long assumed the reasons for this was the obvious: that sitting around a table, beer in hand, was an infinitely more social experience than sitting on my couch shouting at strangers (if…

The Week In Games: Our Home Is Our World, Our Life

There are plenty of neat new games coming out this week, and while none of those is the Homeworld Remastered Collection for PC, I am sure they are nice. Or something. Whatever. Spaceships. Lasers. Space itself. Trails of light. Conflict. Strategy. Imagined space bunnies. Homeworld had it all, and as long as nothing goes horribly…

Every Toaster Is Just A Game Console Waiting To Happen

As I pondered the recent and lovely modding work of Finnish artist Jarno Kotavuopio, I pondered the perfection of toaster as video game console. Such a simple and elegant device, with a classic aesthetic that outshines any true console. Plus it makes toast, which is delicious. Jarno’s orange and silver NEStoaster, one of two works…

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku‘s reader-run community: Why Kirby Canvas Curse is My Favorite Kirby Game • Solving Donkey Kong Country’s Great DK Island Mystery • Microtransactions Have Legitimized Casual Games TAY Classic—TAY Open Forum—Beginner’s Guide To TAY Follow them here.

Kanye’s Making A Video Game About His Mom’s Journey Through Heaven

Fresh from his blockbuster performance at the Grammys, rapper, producer, songwriter, professional husband and game designer Kanye West has revealed that his next game project will allow players to guide his late mother to the highest gates of heaven. I say latest game project because Mr. West is no stranger to the rigors of game…

New Tricks Help Runners Shatter The Halo Legendary Speed Record

As of November of last year the world record time for completing Halo: Combat Evolved on Legendary difficulty was 1:29:59. In this video a group of four speedrunners demonstrate techniques that shave a full 22 minutes off of that time. A group effort by a group of Halo speedsters which includesformer Legendary record holder Andrew…